See all that smoke coming from the landing gear. As you touch down in a crab. the drag caused by the tires touching the runway causes the aircraft to rotate and it aligns the aircraft with the direction of movement. In this case it happened to be down the runway.
This set of photos, and the ones I showed you are during a day when the crosswinds were pretty bad.
For that particular runway you use what is called a IGS landing system. Normally the instrument landing system aligns you with the centerline of the runway. Since a mountain is in the way. The designed the system to lead the aircraft down through the clouds at 90 degrees to the runway centerline. At minimums to the approach you turn right 90 degrees to line up with the runway centerline. If the wind are blowing perpendicular to the centerline. It becomes a Judgement call as to when you start your turn for the runway. As the pictures show some judgement is better than others. Or better yet, "Experience" is the key word here. With strong crosswinds its easy to overshoot or under shoot the centerline. But then you have very little time left in your desent to correct. Your 200" above the ground in a turn and you have 20 seconds to get it right.
Being a monday morning quarterback, in this case. The crew should have gone around. If they were capable of doing it. So many factors here.
As I said when you tough down in a crab. The tires really cause a rotation that is the aircraft straightning out.
More than likely they did a complete inspection of the gear. This would be written up as a hard landing.

Here a picture of the checkerboard panel at the end of the IGS landing system.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=692871&WxsIERv=Obrvat%20747-4U6&WdsYXMg=Znynlfvn%20Nveyvarf&QtODMg=Ubat%20Xbat%20-%20Xnv%20Gnx%20Vagreangvbany%20%28UXT%20%2F%20IUUU%29%20%28pybfrq%29&ERDLTkt=Puvan%20-%20Ubat%20Xbat&ktODMp=Whyl%205%2C%201998&BP=0&WNEb25u=Wrna&xsIERvdWdsY=9Z-ZCT&MgTUQtODMgKE=Gur%20qnl%20jnf%20svanyyl%20neevirq%21%20Cebonoyl%2C%20guvf%20Znynlfvna%20Qnfu%20400%20 vf%20znxvat%20ure%20ynfg%20%22ghea%22%20gb%20yvar%20hc%20va%20VTF%20nccebnpu%20ba%20ehajnl%2013.%20G ur%20ynfg%20bcrengvbany%20qnl%20bs%20gung%20nvecbeg%20jnf%20fgnegrq%20jvgu%20gur%20gbeeragvny%20enva %3B%20ubjrire%2C%20jvaqf%20pbzvat%20sebz%20gur%20fbhgu%20zbirq%20gur%20pybhqf%20naq%20gur%20fha%20jn f%20oernxvat%20guebhtu.%20Lbh%20pbhyq%20svaq%20znal%20raguhfvnfgf%20nyernql%20neevirq%20ng%20gur%20s nzbhf%20%22Purpxre-Obneq%22%20uvyy%20va%20beqre%20gb%20orpbzr%20n%20jvgarff.%20V%20jnf%20nyfb%20dhvgr%20zbgvingrq%20gb% 20or%20bhg%20gurer%3B%20ohg%2C%20vg%20frrzrq%20gung%20gur%20bcrengvba%20fgnlrq%20pbby%20nf%20hfhny.&YXMgTUQtODMgKERD=2996&NEb25uZWxs=2004-10-16%2000%3A00%3A00&ODJ9dvCE=&O89Dcjdg=25703%2F1025&static=yes&sok=JURER%20%20%28cynpr%20%3D%20%27Ubat%20Xbat%20-%20Xnv%20Gnx%20Vagreangvbany%20%28UXT%20%2F%20IUUU%29%20%28pybfrq%29%27%29%20%20beqre%20ol%20cubgb_v q%20QRFP&photo_nr=180&prev_id=693543&next_id=NEXTID

On this one notice the sparks coming fom the # 4 engine as it touches down first. Rubber on the tires does a much better job on touchdown. I feel an engine change coming on after this flight.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=149179&size=L&sok=JURER%20%20%28cynpr%20%3D%20%27Ubat%20Xbat%20-%20Xnv%20Gnx%20Vagreangvbany%20%28UXT%20%2F%20IUUU%29%20%28pybfrq%29%27%29%20%20beqre%20ol%20cubgb_v q%20QRFP&photo_nr=1278&prev_id=149180&next_id=148844

Dave


Dave

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